Shelley Arnusch, The Pique (Canada)
Wednesday, December 29, 2004
Who: Allison Crowe
What: First Night
Where: Whistler Village Square
When: Friday, Dec. 31, 9 p.m.
A young singer/songwriter with a
piano and a strong voice is bound
to draw comparisons with such artists as Tori Amos and Fiona Apple.
Nanaimo-based Allison Crowe has the
keyboard skills and the
commanding vox needed to gain access to this exclusive club.
However,
the hard part in following in the footsteps of such piano-playing
artists as Amos and Apple and other comparable instrumentalists such
as
Ani DiFranco lies in the courage to express the depths of emotions
in
songwriting.
"That used to be really scary,
but I'm getting more comfortable
with that," says Crowe.
The 23-year old Island girl has
already more than proved she's no
pop tart. Her independent label Rubenesque Records (a reference to
the
celebration of the fearless, unconventional females, she confirms)
is
home to her two full-length independent releases: Secrets and
Tidings.
The latter is a November 2004-released Christmas album that goes
from O
Holy Night to Leonard Cohen, to Joni Mitchell to John Lennon across
a
spectrum of styles that includes Celtic, folk, roots, rock jazz and
blues.
Crowe also showed she has the guts to
take on the heart-wrenching
in Lisa's Song, a track composed and recorded for missing person
Lisa
Marie Young, a high-school friend of the artist who went missing on
June
30, 2002.
Upcoming tours include Canada and the
U.S. in the spring and
Europe in the fall. Clearly rooted deep in Island life, Crowe
confirms
that as of right now she is not looking to relocate somewhere closer
to
the action.
"The thing is, you can always
travel," says Crowe. "And it's nice
to have the Island to come home to."
Allison Crowe has performed several
times in Whistler including
during last April's World Ski and Snowboard Festival. She will take
the
stage in Village Square at 9 p.m. for the New Year's Eve First Night
celebrations.